Nine days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to ban assault-style weapons in the wake of the worst mass shooting in modern Canadian history, he made good on that promise, Buzzfeed reports.
“These weapons were designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time. There is no use and no place for such weapons in Canada,” Trudeau said on Friday. “Effective immediately, it is no longer permitted to buy, sell, transport, import, or use military-grade assault weapons in this country.”
Trudeau was able to institute the ban of 1,500 makes and models of “military-style” weapons without Parliament’s approval. Under the order, owners of current assault-style weapons will receive a two-year amnesty period. Justice Minister David Lametti said people who still possess the banned guns after April 2022 could face criminal penalties.
Trudeau also announced that his cabinet will work with Parliament to put into place a buyback program to provide current owners of the now-banned weapons with “fair compensation” for their losses. The government estimates that enforcing the ban could involve removing over 100,000 weapons from circulation. The buyback program could potentially cost Canadian taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
